"We can confirm that a 48-year-old man voluntarily attended a north London police station on Tuesday, 2 December where he was arrested, following an allegation of rape in central London," the statement said.

Pritchard joined Parliament in 2005 and currently sits on the National Security Strategy select committee. On his website he states that he is a founding member of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission and is "active in debates...on defence, foreign affairs, counter-terrorism issues, health and Home Office issues".

"I write to inform you that on 2nd December 2014, Mark Pritchard MP was arrested at 6.14pm at Holborn Police Station in London by MPS officers. Mr Pritchard was questioned by police and released on bail later the same evening at 10.16pm. The matter is subject to further investigation and is sub judice at the present time."

Pritchard has since been released on bail.

Update

The Metropolitan police have announced that they will not be filing charges against Pritchard. A spokesperson for the force said that there will be "no further action as there is insufficient evidence".

The MP has described the allegations as a "vindictive and outrageous story" and has called for the laws that protect the identity of sexual assault complainants to be reviewed, according to The Guardian.